The Last Wolf
by meowfics
Summary: Kyra Norwood was seemingly abandoned at birth, born with the peculiar ability to transform into a wolf during the full moon. Spending her life desperately seeking answers about her past, she is lured to the town of Storybrooke by mysterious means, where she eventually learns that there is much more to her past than she thought. ***IN PROGRESS***
1. Prologue

THE LAST WOLF

 *****You know the drill - description time!*****

 **Hello all, this is going to be kind of a long description so please just bear with me. I have fairly recently gotten into watching Once Upon a Time on Netflix and I found that I did actually like it a lot. The characters that I were really intrigued by were Sheriff Graham/The Huntsman, Ruby/Red Riding Hood, and Jefferson/the Mad Hatter. They all ended up not lasting too long in the series which I thought was such a shame, especially in Graham's case. We barely got any more of a backstory out of him about being raised by wolves and what not. I read on the OUaT wiki that he was apparently raised by shape-shifting wolves as well, which again, I thought would have been an interesting thing to further explore on the show.**

 **So, the main reason I'm writing this fic is that I was disappointed/confused by the way werewolves were depicted in the show. The way they were portrayed was just all over the place and never made much sense to me. For example, what** **was up with that first wolf Emma saw after trying to leave Storybrooke for the first time? Why wasn't Ruby still a werewolf in Storybrooke? Sure magic doesn't exist, but wouldn't** **being a werewolf be a genetic affliction, not magic? It is semi-implied in season 2 that because she wears red, it keeps her wolf side in check, but it's never officially confirmed. And was she, a shape-shifting wolf, somehow related to the whole Graham backstory? And speaking of whom, what was the deal with that wolf he had seen in Storybrooke and in his flashbacks? None of this is explained, none of this is further explored, and I really thought it was a shame.**

 **For this fanfic, I've created an OC of my own named Kyra Norwood. She is, as you may have already guessed, a werewolf. I based both her werewolf abilities and character's personality as a whole to Hayley Marshall from the Originals, as I liked her character a lot. But keep in mind, though she is based a lot on Hayley, she is NOT Hayley.**

 **Further background on Kyra is that she is from the fairytale world originally, though not as a definite *character* at this point, i.e. Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Snow White, etc. She's born in a werewolf pack known as the Crescent Wolves who all have a crescent moon shaped birthmark on their right shoulders to signify it (this is where the werewolf concept from the Originals comes in, totally stole the idea from them so gotta give credit where credit's due). This pack is the one that raised Graham (or Huntsman? He's not given a real name in the fairytale world I guess...), and he grows up with Kyra, falling in love with her in the process. However, when he fails to kill Snow White for Regina and she takes out his heart, he still retains feelings for Kyra and the werewolves. As such, Regina orders the extinction of the werewolves, most notably the Crescents, to keep Graham from being distracted.**

 **From there, Kyra soon ends up being the last Crescent wolf left and one of the last werewolves left at all, making her a highly valuable asset of the fairytale world. There ends up being a big reward for the person who finds her and brings her to the Queen, which is where Jefferson comes in as he wants the reward to better his daughter's life. But things take a turn when he and Kyra find themselves attracted to one another, and he ends up helping her get away when the Queen arrives at his home. Not too long later, right before the curse is about to take place, Rumplestiltskin realizes Kyra's value as the last Crescent wolf and doesn't want her killed. With her consent, he sends her to the "Land Without Magic" to restart her life and grow up there with no memories of her "fairytale" life, though she is now in debt to him for doing so.**

 **In the real world, Kyra grows up in Manhattan with no family and no knowledge of her past life, but still retains her werewolf abilities as well as the crescent moon birthmark. Desperate to learn about her past, she is soon lured to Storybrooke by mysterious means not too long after Emma and Mary Margaret's kidnapping by Jefferson...and it is revealed that his desperation to get his hat to work and return to the Enchanted Forest was not only because of his daughter.**

 **Told you guys it would be a long description. Well, onto the story. Hope you guys like it!**

 *****RATED M FOR LANGUAGE, SOME VIOLENCE, AND SEXUAL CONTENT/RAPE*****

 **(SIDE NOTE: The POV's change at times throughout the story, usually indicated by each separating line but not always, as you read on it'll be clear who's POV each part is in)**

* * *

 _Prologue_

Kyra walked aimlessly through the Enchanted Forest, feeling completely numb with pain. She didn't cry anymore, and she didn't feel anymore. To feel anything was exhausting after all she'd been through. Ever since Graham was taken from her, ever since the Queen ordered the extinction of her people, her life had been an endless cycle of misery. There she was, one of the last werewolves in all of the land, completely alone in the world.

Rumors had been spreading around rapidly lately that the Queen was planning a horrible curse, worse than anything she'd ever done before. Kyra could only imagine what said curse would entail. But what could possibly be worse than what had already been done? She thought. She was almost too afraid to know. She wanted absolutely no part in said curse, but if it was true that the Queen was casting it over the entire land, it seemed there was no getting out if it.

It was then that Kyra stopped dead in her tracks, closing her eyes and exhaling deeply. She realized that there was actually one way to get out of it, and ensure that she wouldn't be an unwilling participant in this curse.

She turned her heel and began heading in the direction she'd been avoiding like the plague for years - the Queen's castle. It was the only way out. She prayed that once there, she would be given a clean death, something quick and not prolonged. But even so, whatever pain the Queen or her little minions would inflict on her couldn't possibly be worse than the heartache she's endured for so long. There was nothing left to live for, Kyra knew that now. Saddened as it made her, she couldn't stop herself from facing the horrible truth any longer. Death was her only release.

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you, deary!" A high-pitched voice spoke suddenly, rooting Kyra in place. She turned in the direction of where she heard it, and saw him.

Rumplestiltskin.

She'd never actually seen him in person before, only seeing him in pictures and hearing of him in stories. Her throat tightened as her eyes regarded him, sitting on a large stone with one leg crossed over the other, smiling widely at her. She thought for a moment of how to respond, but she ultimately decided to play dumb.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Oh, come now," The creature before her quickly responded, almost cutting her off. "You know who I am...and I know who you are. Kyra." Kyra's eyes widened. He really was all-knowing. It didn't sit well with her, and she suddenly found herself wanting to dart off in the other direction to get away from him. But for some reason, she remained right where she stood.

"Now..." Rumplestiltskin said, hopping off the stone and slowly making his way toward her. "Why are you, Kyra Norwood, the last of your kind, running for your life for the past several years...walking in the direction of the Queen's castle?" He put his hands on his hips, leaning downward slightly as he looked at her. Kyra pursed her lips.

"You tell me," She replied, looking him dead in the eye. He laughed then, but Kyra kept her eyes locked on him, staring him down. Startled as she was by his sudden appearance, and despite all she knew about him, she was not afraid of this man.

"Smart girl," Rumplestiltskin said. "Shame you're so quick to march to your death." Kyra didn't reply. She just kept staring him down, her golden brown eyes full of mistrust. He laughed once more like a madman before speaking.

"Tell me," He said suddenly, taking a few steps forward, closer to where she stood. "After all of that fighting to stay alive, after all of that running, after ALL that you've been through as of late...why are you putting it all to waste now?" Feeling tears begin to well in her eyes, Kyra slowly began to shake her head at him.

"I have nothing left to live for," Kyra told him, a slight shake in her voice. "Everyone I've ever loved, any person I've ever cared about has been taken by her. Whatever curse she has planned, I want no part in it. I have to surrender myself to her before she puts the curse in place. Death is my only way out of this...out of all of it." The Dark One wasn't smiling anymore. He now had a very serious expression on his face that a few moments ago Kyra didn't think he was capable of. After looking at her intently for another moment or so, he then took a few more steps forward, leaning in close to her face.

"You're the last Crescent wolf," He said to her quietly. "You can't die." Once more, Kyra shook her head at him, his words having very little effect on her. She had told herself those exact words while she ran, while she hopped around from city to city hiding from the Queen and her guards. _You're the last wolf, Kyra._ Those words had previously given her the strength and ambition she needed to survive. But now, they meant almost nothing.

"I want to," She told Rumplestiltskin. He stepped back for a minute giving her a look and shaking his finger at her.

"No you don't," He said. Kyra's brow furrowed in response to him saying this.

"Yes, I do," She insisted. He shook his head slightly, a smile forming back onto on his face once more as he looked at her.

"No," He replied, leaning back into her face. "No, no, no. I know what you really want. To forget. To start over. You want a new life, in a new place...far away from this one." Kyra's eyes flickered downward after a moment, thinking deeply about this. He was right. That is what she really wanted. She would much rather have that than death, but she just didn't see that as a possibility.

"Even if I did want such a thing, it doesn't matter," She said to Rumplestiltskin. "No matter where I go, this curse will be sure to follow."

"Oh, but there is one place..." He said, beginning to walk around her as he spoke, like a predator stalking it's prey. "A place that would be perfect for you to start a new life. A place where curses and magic are nonexistent." Kyra's head shot back to look at him upon hearing those words.

"A place...without magic?" She inquired. She had never thought such a place could exist.

"Yes," Rumplestiltskin said, making his way back to the front of where she stood, smiling mischievously. "Somewhere like that would be perfect for someone in your situation, wouldn't you agree?" She looked down, deep in thought once more. This man was mad in a way, yes...but he was smart. He knew what he was talking about. As she thought for a moment longer on it, she soon shot her head back up, looking at the Dark One intently.

"Tell me," Kyra spoke to him. "Where is this place?" He shook his head at her once more, making a tsk-ing sound.

"It's not a place that you can travel to of your own accord, little wolf," He informed her. "You'll need help to get there. MY help to be exact!" Kyra let out a heavy sigh. So that's what was going on here. She cursed herself for allowing this man to coerce her into wanting his help...or at least almost allowing him to. If the stories she had heard about him were any indication, then making any type of deal with him would come with a great cost. A cost Kyra surely couldn't afford.

"Absolutely not," She snapped at him. "I know what happens to people who make deals with you, and I think I for one have been through enough. I'll find a way to get to this land without magic myself, and if I can't before this curse takes hold, then...I'll just have to surrender myself to the Queen." She turned around to begin walking away from Rumplestiltskin, only to find him standing right there behind her.

"You are an ignorant one, aren't you?" He said to her in an accusing tone. "So quick to go off on your own, so quick to refuse any help that is offered to you..."

"First of all," Kyra began. "Only a fool would accept any 'help' of yours. Second of all, I am fully capable of doing things on my own. I've been doing it for a long time." Turning the other way to walk away once more, she jumped slightly to once more see the Dark One standing right before her, though much closer this time.

"And how has 'doing things on your own' been working out for you?" He inquired. "If you ask me, it hasn't been working out very well at all." She glared at him in anger as he leaned forward right into her face, speaking quietly. "Let me let you in on a little secret, deary. Though the land I speak of doesn't have magic, the only way to get there is with just that. And believe me, you won't get there without my help."

"I don't want your help," Kyra said to him through gritted teeth.

"But I want to help you," He quickly replied, smiling back at her.

"Why?" She demanded. "Why could you possibly want to help me?"

"Because you're the last of your kind!" He exclaimed. Out of nowhere, he suddenly reached over and grabbed her right shoulder.

"Hey!" Kyra exclaimed in response to him doing so. He turned her shoulder slightly to face him, pulling down her sleeve gently to reveal the crescent moon shaped birthmark on the back of her shoulder, the symbol of her pack.

"The Crescent Wolf Pack," He said, touching the birthmark. "The most powerful wolf pack of all." Kyra yanked herself away from him, tears beginning to well up in her eyes once more.

"It was," Kyra said, feeling a tear fall down her one cheek. "Now it's gone."

"Not entirely!" Rumplestiltskin pointed out, smiling once more. "You're still here, aren't you?"

At that moment, Kyra found herself suddenly unsure of what to do. If she refused Rumplestiltskin's offer, it was highly unlikely that she'd be able to get to this land without magic on her own. With that, she would have no choice but to surrender to the evil woman who held such loathing for her and her kind. On the other hand, if she did take Rumplestiltskin's offer...her escape to this land without magic would be a guarantee, and she would be free from the Queen and any of her curses. The only catch was that she would be in debt to the Dark One, and she could only imagine how great of a debt that would be. But then again, in a place with no magic - something that gave the Dark One all of his power - perhaps her debt wouldn't be as costly. He would have to travel there to collect it after all, and with that, he would be almost powerless.

Kyra made her decision then, looking at Rumplestiltskin and slowly giving him a nod.

"You're right," She told him. "I am still here. I am the last wolf...and I don't want to die." Rumplestiltskin smiled widely at her in encouragement, waiting on faded breath for her to give him the word. She looked down at first, sighing heavily before looking back up at him and speaking the very words that would set her fate.

"Send me to this land without magic."

The Dark One laughed giddily, making Kyra slightly uncomfortable and almost question her decision. But she shrugged it off when she remembered he wouldn't be nearly as powerful if and when he ever came to collect his debt from her. Without magic, he would have very little power over her, if any at all. He walked right up to her and took her hands in his.

"I knew you would make the right choice, deary!" He said to her, smiling widely. After a moment, he then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glimmering seed-like object. He walked slightly forward and carefully set the object on the ground, burying it in the dirt. Kyra stared at him as he did so, wondering what he could possibly be doing.

It soon came to fruition when Rumplestiltskin stood back next to Kyra, and the ground where he planted the seed opened up. A large swirling portal formed on the ground before them, swirling so fast that Kyra's long chestnut brown hair began to blow around with it.

"I was saving it for the right time," Rumplestiltskin told her, surely referring to the seed. He turned to look at her as he continued. "And this, little wolf...is the right time." Kyra turned and looked at him, giving a small smile.

"I would thank you..." She replied. "But I'm aware that I'll owe you a great deal for this someday."

"That you will, miss Kyra," He said, beginning to walk behind her as she looked down at the portal. "That...you will!" In no less than a second after he spoke his final words to her, he gave her a slight push from behind, watching as she fell into the portal with an oh-so-wicked smile on his face. He then tossed a small piece of parchment down into the portal with her just before it closed up. The last thing Kyra saw was the parchment following her down as the Dark One smiled at her before she felt herself fade away. She then fell into a large body, twisting the events of space and time as she was sent to this new world.

Not even a moment later did a newborn baby appear out of nowhere on the sidewalk of a suburban Manhattan street. The infant bore a crescent moon shaped birthmark on her right shoulder, as well as a piece of parchment beside her that read one single word:

Kyra.


	2. Chapter 1: The Note

_Chapter 1: The Note_

It was around 5:45 a.m. when the full moon in the Manhattan sky was about to be replaced by the rising sun.

There was a section of woods near the outskirts of the city. It wasn't a very heavily wooded area, but it was the best place for Kyra to seek refuge when unfortunate nights like these came upon her. She watched the city from the woods in her wolf form, her golden eyes illuminated by the light of the sun as it began peaking out. She didn't appear very monstrous as a wolf. She was slightly bigger than the average one, her fur mostly white in addition to a light grey tinge covering her backside, the top of her head, and her ears.

As the sun rose, Kyra felt her body keel over as her bones began to shift. It was painful going from one completely different form to the next, but at least it was a relatively brief process. She groaned as her transformation took hold, her wolf-sounding groans slowly reverting back to her human-sounding ones. After it was over, she slowly stood up, looking back up at the sunrise over the city. It was a beautiful sight, but she didn't have time to admire it for much longer. She turned and went to find the tree where she had transformed at the beginning of the night, finding her clothes right there where she had removed them. She'd ripped so many outfits over the years during her human-to-wolf transitions that she finally got herself in the habit of just removing them altogether beforehand.

Once re-dressed, Kyra headed out of the woods and back towards the city. She recalled the apartment she'd stayed over was in Greenwich Village, near the small suburb where her own apartment was. After finally locating it, she quickly snuck into the building and headed up the stairs. It took her a moment to recall the apartment number but she soon found it, slowly reaching for the doorknob. It was thankfully still unlocked like she'd left it, in which she quietly let out a sigh of relief at this before letting herself in.

Her things were sprawled all over the couch in the living room, that of which was right across from where the bedroom door was. It was wide open, revealing the guy whose name she already forgot sleeping soundly in his bed. _Thank God,_ she thought before turning around. She began packing her stuff up as quickly and quietly as she could, wanting to get the hell out of there before he woke.

But then, she suddenly felt someone's hand touch her backside.

"Hey," She heard them say.

Kyra quickly darted around, seeing "guy-whose-name-she-already-forgot" standing right behind her, now wide awake. He still had no clothes on, but had the blanket from his bed wrapped around his lower half. He looked a bit upset at her, which was unsurprising, giving that she left him last night once the sun started to go down. He'd fallen asleep at that time anyway, but it was likely he woke up at some point in the night to find her gone. Oh well.

"Hey," Kyra said back to him nonchalantly before turning back around to continue packing.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Uh, home?" Kyra said to him, not caring if she sounded like a smart-ass.

"Why so soon?" He asked her again, sounding even more frustrated.

"I've got shit to do today," Kyra informed him, semi-lying. She didn't have any definite plans, but she did have some stuff she wanted to get done. She zipped up her bag and quickly turned to walk past him to the door, but "guy-whose-name-she-already-forgot" was too quick, grabbing her arm to stop her.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" He snapped at her. Kyra gave a heavy sigh, not even trying to hide her annoyance.

"What?" She asked him, not even looking at him.

"What do you mean, 'what'?" He snapped once more. "First you ditch me last night, you leave all your shit here, and now you come back super early in the morning, only to skip out again?"

"Let me go," Kyra said to him, trying to pull away. He responded by yanking her arm to bring her closer to him.

"No," He said. "You don't just stay out all night after we fuck, and you sure as hell don't try to skip out the next morning, either."

"I can do whatever I want," Kyra countered as she kept her eyes forward, not even turning to face him once. She tried to pull away again, but he suddenly grabbed onto her hard with both hands and slammed her against the wall. Kyra immediately closed her eyes tight in response to him doing this. _This fucker is gonna get it,_ she thought. _He is gonna get it real bad..._

"Who the fuck do you think you are?!" He yelled in her face. "Is this what you do? You just fuck guys and leave? Well, guess what? You are NOT doing that to me, you fucking _slut!"_ Kyra eyes then snapped open, her irises now shining bright yellow as opposed to her natural golden brown. She immediately used her full strength to switch positions with him, grabbing him by the throat with only one hand and turning to slam him hard against the wall, causing it to crack in several places around him. His eyes grew wide with fear as he gasped for air and looked at her, her eyes remaining yellow as she bared her fangs as well.

"You touch me again..." She growled at him. "You die." His body shook slightly when she said those words to him, his tough-guy persona quickly melting away to reveal the shivering cowardly little boy underneath. She gave him one last glare of malice before releasing her grip, turning to grab her bag as her eyes and teeth reverted back to normal. He began coughing in a very exaggerated manner, making Kyra roll her eyes. She didn't even grab his throat that hard. Fucking drama queen.

"What..." "Guy-whose-name-she-already-forgot" said between coughs. "What the fuck are you...?" Kyra swung the strap of her bag onto her shoulder as she walked past him to the door, turning to face him one last time as she spoke.

"Something no one will believe if you tell them," She said, smiling at him tauntingly before turning back around to leave, slamming the door hard behind her.

She went on to spend the rest of her day walking around the city, her usual thing. She did some job hunting as well since her latest gig didn't work out. It didn't sit well with her previous employer that she had to call off every full moon, but she couldn't help it. Even though her werewolf gene got in the way of keeping a steady job, Kyra needed money bad. After filling out applications at several places and just hanging out in different spots of the city, she finally headed home later that afternoon, grabbing her usual go-to dinner of Chinese food on the way.

Upon approaching her apartment building, Kyra almost wanted to turn back around and just keep hanging out in the city. She hated her small shitty apartment, but it was all she could afford even after saving up a good sum of money. Paying for everything herself with no help wasn't an easy thing, but she managed. She walked up the steps, punching in her code next to the front door before it opened. It was funny to her that the residents of this shit place had to enter a stupid code to get in. Out of all the apartment buildings in the city, hers was one of the least likely to be at risk for robbery or trespassing. Once inside, Kyra quickly scurried up the steps to her apartment, wanting to avoid the possibility of running into her landlord. She knew she was behind on her rent again, and she was pretty freakin' sure he knew it, too.

Luckily making it over to her apartment without seeing him or anyone else, she quickly unlocked her door and went inside. After locking the door behind her, she headed into her room and threw her bag on the floor, feeling incredibly tired after being awake for well over 24 hours. She took a hot shower and blew dry her long chestnut brown hair. It always seemed to grow super long super fast. She just got it cut not too long ago, but it had already grown back down to her waist. Once dried, she tied it up in a ponytail before changing into her usual nightwear of a tank top and pajama pants.

She went and laid on her bed, curling herself up into a ball as she held her legs tightly to her chest, deep in thought. After a moment, she sat up slightly and reached under her pillow, taking out a piece of paper. It was the one that had been sitting right beside her the night she was found as a baby, abandoned on the sidewalk. It had "Kyra" written on it, and it was the only link she had to her identity. Once found and taken into the foster care system, it was subsequently the name she was given, assuming that's what her so-called "parents" must have named her. "Parents". Please. They were anything but, abandoning their own child like that...just leaving her to die in the streets of Manhattan.

But, why? That was the one question Kyra had been asking herself her whole life. Why? Why was she abandoned? Why was there a note left beside her with her name on it? Her birth parents clearly didn't give a shit about her. If they had, even just a little bit, they wouldn't have just left their helpless newborn baby on the side of the road like that. So why the note? Why give her a name at all if they didn't care enough to keep her? Just... _why?_

She hated them for doing that to her, whoever they were. Because of them, Kyra had no real family to speak of. She'd bounced around foster families her whole life, none of them actually taking her in and adopting her. Her last foster family for one had kicked her out the second she turned into a wolf. She was only fifteen at the time, but ever since then, she'd been completely on her own left to fend for herself. But what else could she do? She had no one else but her, and it sucked.

Just then, Kyra heard a knock at the door. Who the hell could that be? She thought. She got up and went to look through the peephole on her door.

Nobody.

Curious, she opened the door and looked down the hall, but again saw no one. Once she turned around, however, she jumped in surprise when she saw none other than her landlord. _Oh, fuck me..._ she thought. He stood perfectly calm, holding a bunch of mail in his hand that she could only assume was hers.

"Kyra," He said, greeting her.

"Uh, hey..." She replied, trying not to sound as uneasy as she was. "H-how's it going?"

"Could be better," He said before cutting to the chase. "Your rent, Kyra. You're falling behind on it again." She paused before speaking, giving a small sigh.

"I know," She confessed. "And I know I promised I wouldn't let it happen again. It's just that I've been having trouble finding a steady job and I've been barely scraping by..."

"Look," He said, cutting her off. "I don't want to hear excuses anymore, Kyra. I know you're having a tough time, but I can't keep ya here if you can't pay the rent."

"I _can_ pay the rent," Kyra insisted. "It just...takes me a little bit longer to get the money together." Her landlord sighed heavily, shaking his head before handing her her mail.

"I want it within the next 48 hours," He told her. "If you still don't have it for me by then, then I'll have no choice but to evict you." Kyra sighed, looking down as she held her mail in her hands. She then looked up and nodded at him.

"Deal," She said. He then turned and walked off, turning the corner and disappearing from sight. Kyra slipped back inside her apartment, knowing that it probably wasn't going to be her apartment for much longer. There was no way she was going to have the money for him within that amount of time. She would be better off just leaving now and finding somewhere else to go. Though where that was, she had no idea.

She went and sat down on her bed, going through her mail. It was mostly just junk, though one of them was a response letter to her applying for one of the jobs, saying they apologized and couldn't accept her at this time. Of course. She angrily flipped through the rest of her mail to see if there was anything of interest, but she didn't see anything at first.

However, when she got to the bottom of the stack, she came across something very peculiar.

It looked to be some kind of letter, the return address being from some place called "Storybrooke" in Maine. She furrowed her brow upon seeing it.

"What the fuck?" She asked herself quietly when she saw it. She didn't know anyone from Maine, and she sure as hell didn't know anyone from a place that had a name as ridiculous as "Storybrooke". At first, she considered that she'd gotten someone else's mail by accident, as that seemed like the most logical explanation. But it wasn't; the letter was addressed to her specifically. It had her name, her current address, apartment number...everything. She opened up the envelope, reaching inside and pulling out what appeared to be a map, a route drawn out from her current location to Maine. Seeing writing behind the map as she held it up, she turned it over and saw there was also a brief handwritten note. It read:

 _Kyra,_

 _It is clear that you have many questions about your past, but you will never find the answers you are looking for where you are now. Follow this map to Storybrooke, where you will surely find the answers you have been looking for all your life._

Kyra glared at the note for a long time. It wasn't signed by anyone from what she could see. Whoever had sent it to her had remained completely anonymous. But whoever they were, they knew her name...and they knew she was desperate for answers about her past. It seemed they knew a lot more as well, and she found herself determined to figure out who sent the letter and what kind of "answers" they had for her.

She yawned suddenly, reminded of how exhausted she was. Despite her mind now racing after receiving this mysterious note, she knew before she could go anywhere that she would need to sleep on it first. But from there, she knew what she had to do. She had to go to this "Storybrooke" place in Maine...she had to learn what kind of answers it held regarding her and her past.

Kyra let out a smile as she laid her head down on her pillow, gripping the note/map to her chest as she drifted off to sleep, feeling a newfound sense of hope.

* * *

Another night...another day gone by separated from the two people he cared about the most.

Jefferson was out on his usual midnight stroll through the forest that surrounded his home. It was very secluded out where he was, which was just fine with him. He hated being anywhere near the main part of town. There, he was constantly reminded of the things he'd lost almost everywhere he looked.

He was desperate to find a way back to his real home. Kidnapping Emma and Mary Margaret was just another failure of his, much like his repeated failures to get one single _godforsaken_ hat to work. It had been all that he wanted, it still was. Just to have it work once, just once so he could get back home. His daughter Grace was at least there with him in Storybrooke. Though they were technically separated, with Grace her living under the care of a new family with no memories of him, at least she was there.

But it wasn't just his daughter he longed for. There was someone else he'd lost as well...someone he had been more desperate to have back than ever...someone who didn't get sent to Storybrooke along with him and everyone else.

Kyra.

He had only met her that one day, but in that one day, the two of them had shared something beautiful. She made him feel things that he'd never felt with any woman before, not even his late wife. But she was a wanted woman, the last Crescent werewolf, and Regina was hellbent on having her killed. Of course, none other than she had conveniently arrived at his home that very next morning to ask for his help, forcing Kyra to flee. It was the first and last time he would ever see her before he foolishly accepted Regina's offer and ended up trapped in Wonderland. And then, the curse took hold, but even after which there was still no Kyra.

At first, Jefferson figured Regina must have finally tracked her down and killed her. Upon realizing Kyra's absence in Storybrooke, he immediately stormed over to Regina's home, confronting her about it and demanding an answer. But Regina only responded that she hadn't seen Kyra in ages. Not buying it, he angrily demanded to know why it was that Kyra hadn't been sent to Storybrooke with the rest of them. In return, Regina demanded to know how _he_ knew the wolf girl. In response, Jefferson simply began laughing like the madman he was becoming, and confessed to the "Queen" what he and Kyra shared the night before she arrived at his home.

"She was _there!"_ Jefferson laughed tauntingly in Regina's face, watching her seethe in response. "She was at my home the very same time you arrived...and I snuck her out the back door before you could see! I helped her _get away!"_

Regina was furious at this revelation, of course, but without her magic, there was little she could do in retaliation. She ultimately decided that the misery he would endure for the rest of his life without his precious daughter or his "wolf-whore" was punishment enough.

And that it was.

But he saw new hope once Emma came into town, causing time to begin moving forward once again. He knew she would be the one to bring magic to Storybrooke, that of which would help him to get back home and try to find Kyra. For some reason, he knew she was still alive somewhere, most likely still in the Enchanted Forest if she hadn't made it there with the rest of them. He wondered if she had ever come back for him like she said she would, if she was out searching for him at that very moment just as he had been searching for her. I'll be coming for you soon, Kyra. He thought to himself. Once Emma breaks this curse, then I can be with you again.

He missed her. He missed the way she'd looked at him. He missed the feeling of her body up against his. He missed the intense pleasure he felt when he was inside of her, the way she had moaned and cried out his name. It was intoxicating being with her, like nothing he'd ever felt before. He'd so longed to feel that way again, but he knew that the only one who could ever make him feel those things again was Kyra.

Jefferson stopped walking once he looked up at the sky, seeing the full moon peering down upon him. The minute his blue eyes caught sight of it, he could've sworn that somehow, somewhere...he heard a wolf howl.

* * *

Kyra had taken off for Storybrooke the very next morning, packing the little belongings she had up in several bags and taking a Greyhound all the way there. The trip was a little under 8 hours, giving her the time to try and decipher the mysterious message as best as she could. The handwriting was in cursive, one of the fanciest cursives she'd ever seen, in fact. Out of the very little people she did know, none of them had that kind of handwriting. And the place it was sent from, the place it was telling her to go..."Storybrooke". She'd never been anywhere else in her life besides Manhattan. What kind of answers could she possibly find in a place she's never been?

Soon enough, the bus stopped at her destination, and she hopped off with her bags. According to the map, the closest bus stop was a bit of a hike from where the town actually was. Kyra found that a bit odd, but she didn't mind. She walked everywhere half the time anyway.

Following the map, she was led onto a dirt road that went through a thick forest. She walked along the side of the road, which was completely dead at the time, not one car passed by her the entire time. It was only around 8:30-9:00 at night. Why was it so dead out there? She kept her eyes on the map as she went along, looking up from time to time still seeing nothing but trees and the seemingly endless dirt road before her. _Where the hell is this place?_ She thought to herself. _Is it freaking invisible?_

Suddenly, Kyra looked up once more and stopped. She must have been looking down at the map and not ahead for quite some time, as just before her not even two feet away was a large sign that read "Welcome to Storybrooke". Staring at the sign in wonder, she then finally put her map down.

She was there.

Continuing down the road, Kyra once more saw nothing but trees, questioning the sign's validity. But soon enough, she finally came upon several buildings and streetlights. She stopped walking then, turning and looking at her surroundings. It was the complete opposite of the bustling streets of Manhattan that she was used to. Though there were lights on almost everywhere she looked, it still appeared to be a ghost town. There was no sign of life anywhere, and it was eerily quiet. That is, until...

"Are you lost?"

Kyra shot her head around, seeing a woman and a young boy standing there behind her. The woman was rather swanky in appearance, with short dark brown hair that was styled as neatly as possible and a full face of makeup. Kyra for one looked almost the opposite at that point. She had very little makeup on and her long brown hair was unkempt from her trip there. The woman seemed to be holding the young boy close, making it rather clear that she must have been his mother.

But there was something odd about the woman that Kyra took note of.

As soon as Kyra turned to meet her eyes with hers, the woman looked almost...surprised. What she could have possibly been surprised about, Kyra had no idea.

"Uh, hi..." Kyra said, smiling politely at the two. "I, uh...I just got here, so...I don't really know the place that well...like, at all." She saw that the woman was almost scowling at her as she spoke, but a moment after the woman quickly gave her a grin. At first, Kyra thought it was weird that this woman she didn't even know would be scowling at her like that, but shook it off thinking that she probably just suffered from resting bitch face.

"So, you are lost?" The woman asked. Kyra nodded awkwardly.

"Yeah," She admitted.

"Well, what is it you're looking for?" The woman inquired. Kyra's eyes flickered from her down to her son, who was glaring intently up at her. What the hell is he looking at me like that for? Kyra thought before she switched her focus back to the woman.

"Nothing in particular, really..." Kyra told her. "I just...I got this weird letter in the mail asking me to come here, but it doesn't say who it was from..." She pulled out the map/note from her pocket, looking down at it for a moment. But then, Kyra felt herself jump as the letter was abruptly snatched out of her hands. Her head shot up to see the woman looking down and reading the note. She glared at the woman in complete surprise. What the fuck...? She thought. After a moment, the woman pursed her lips and looked down at her son for a moment, who simply shrugged at her in response. The woman then looked back up to face Kyra, putting on a smile.

"I don't recognize that writing," The woman claimed. "I wonder who could've written it?" She reached out to hand the note back to Kyra, who all the while continued to glare at her, still surprised at the way the woman had snatched the note out of her hands like that.

"Um..." Kyra began. "Yeah, I...I have no idea. I don't know anyone here. At least, I don't think I do."

"Well," The woman told her. "I hope you do you find the...'answers you're looking for'." Kyra found herself a bit taken aback by the way the woman quoted the note in a semi-condescending tone.

"Thank you," Kyra replied, trying her best not to sound as taken aback as she was. "I hope I do, too." The woman nodded before suddenly looking down and shaking her head, as if she just realized something.

"I'm sorry," She said, facing Kyra once more. "I haven't even introduced myself yet, have I? I'm Regina Mills, the mayor." She extended her hand out to Kyra, who shook it.

"Oh, wow..." Kyra said, looking at her with interest at this revelation. "The mayor?"

"Yes," Regina replied proudly before smiling down at her son, who still had his eyes on Kyra. "And this is my son, Henry."

"Hi," Kyra said to him. He smiled up at her in response.

"Hello," He replied. Regina looked from him back up to Kyra.

"And your name?" She asked. Kyra looked back up to meet her gaze before responding.

"Kyra," She replied. "My name's Kyra." The woman's smile faded suddenly when Kyra said this. She then pursed her lips and looked off to the side before she turned back to Kyra. A smile then formed back on her face, but Kyra could tell it was all too forced.

"Kyra," Regina repeated, her very fake smile gleaming. "Beautiful name." She and Kyra both stared at each other in silence for another moment, with Kyra internally wondering what this woman's deal was. The way she looked at her and talked to her, it was almost as if she...knew who Kyra was. And not only that, but she did definitely not like her. But for what reason, Kyra could only imagine.

"Well," Regina finally spoke up, breaking the tense silence and looking down at Henry. "We'd better head home and get you to bed before school tomorrow."

"It's not that late," Henry replied. Regina rolled her eyes slightly, though more in amusement than annoyance.

"Yes, well..." Regina said, looking back up at Kyra once more. "It was nice to meet you...Kyra."

"You too," Kyra said, putting on a fake smile of her own. Regina nodded before she and Henry turned to begin walking the other way. She watched them for a moment before turning to begin walking away herself.

"Oh!" Regina said suddenly, turning back around as Kyra did the same. "One thing you should know is to steer clear of the toll bridge in the woods." She pointed to the trees, assumingly in the direction of said bridge.

"Why is that?" Kyra asked, curious.

"Well," Regina began. "It's just that a few...wolves were spotted hanging around that area the other night." Kyra turned her body to face Regina in full then, her interest peaked.

"Wolves?" She inquired. Regina nodded.

"Yes," She replied. "So, just be careful if you're heading that way."

"I've never seen any wolves here..." Henry suddenly spoke up, looking confused. His mom looked back down at him.

"Maybe not before," She told him, but she then looked back up to Kyra, her brown eyes locked directly onto her as she continued speaking. "But there clearly is now."

Kyra looked at Regina in suspicion at the way she said those words. They were definitely a double entendre, that much Kyra knew...but did Regina know it as well? No. Kyra thought to herself. That isn't possible. I don't even know this woman.

"Alright, Henry," Regina said, looking back down to him. "Let's get going." She lifted her head back up to face Kyra once more as well. "Have a good night, Kyra. And again...good luck." They then turned and walked away, with Kyra watching them the whole time. It was definitely one of the strangest encounters she'd ever had with anyone, at least in a long time.

She quickly shook those thoughts off, however, when she remembered what Regina had said about seeing wolves near the toll bridge. If there were other wolves here, maybe that meant they were her kind of wolves...werewolves. The other night was probably during the full moon...when others like her would be in wolf form. She looked over at the section of woods Regina had been pointing to, deep in thought. She was definitely tired out, having done all that walking with two heavy bags. But the thought of finding answers already was just too tempting.

Walking around one of the buildings to get a closer look at the woods, Kyra saw what looked to be some kind of path leading right through it. She set her bags against the wall of the building, fairly confident that they wouldn't get stolen in a ghost town like this. That weird chick Regina and her son were the only two people she'd seen so far.

After setting her things down, Kyra turned toward the woods and began walking onward. The path seemed to go on forever, with Kyra soon feeling as though she'd walked over a mile. But no sign of this toll bridge that Regina had mentioned. Just trees, trees, and more trees. She almost wanted to call bullshit on Regina and go back.

But suddenly, a few feet ahead of her, Kyra began seeing something come into view. As she continued, she gasped quietly when she saw none other than a bridge. As she got closer, she saw there was a sign on it that read "Toll Bridge", but with an "R" handwritten between the "T" and "O" in orange marker, making it spell "Troll". Weird...she thought.

She began exploring the area, looking around for any signs of wolves. The stream running beneath the bridge was the only noise she could hear besides the chirping of crickets. It was peaceful out there, and would be a nice place for someone like her to go during the full moon. Kyra continued looking around, but was dismayed when she found no signs of wolves there at all. No footprints, no scratch marks, nothing.

Suddenly, Kyra felt something hit her over the head from behind. The last thing she felt was her body fall to the ground before her vision faded to black.

* * *

This wasn't possible...it just couldn't be possible...

Regina had spent a majority of her night pacing back and forth in the foyer of her large home, distressed over her current predicament. Kyra hadn't been brought to Storybrooke along with everyone else. Regina had come to the conclusion long beforehand that the only reason Kyra hadn't been brought there could have only meant she perished before Regina put the curse in place. It was the only explanation she could think of. But then, there Kyra was...last night...right in front of Regina's eyes...very much alive and well. She had no memories of Regina, that was clear, but how? Why?

Determined to figure out how this could be, Regina had successfully lured the once alpha wolf of the "Crescent Pack" to the toll bridge, lying about having seen wolves there the other night. Luckily, Kyra had taken the bait, in which Regina went back out after putting Henry to bed to find her there. After knocking Kyra out, Regina dragged her unconscious body all the way home, keeping the wolf girl locked in the den until she could figure out what to do from there.

Regina had gone back to get Kyra's bags as well, snooping through them for any further information about her. She was apparently found as a baby in Manhattan 25 years ago. But again, how could that be? Regina had put her curse in place 28 years ago! She also saw that Kyra not only somehow retained her name, but also the crescent moon birthmark on her right shoulder. So she was still a werewolf, too.

After thinking long and hard about how this could possibly be, a single person suddenly came to her mind.

Gold.

She called him immediately that morning, ordering him to meet her at her home as soon as possible. He must have had something to do with this, she thought. Who other than that snake?

Not too long after sending Henry off to school did Regina finally hear a knock at her door, which she immediately went to answer. She opened the door hastily, seeing none other than Gold standing at her doorstep.

"Morning, Regina," He greeted her.

"Come in," She replied, stepping out of the way for him to walk past. He gave her a look, clearly taken aback by her hastiness before walking past her into the house.

"May ask what's going on?" He inquired as he watched her close the door behind her. "You sounded quite urgent on the phone."

"I was," Regina coldly replied, approaching him with her arms crossed. "I am."

"About what in regarding?" He asked. Regina just stared at him, the tension in her eyes thick enough to bite.

"Well," She began, looking down then back up at him. "As you know, since Miss Swan's arrival in town, things have become increasingly...difficult for us."

"You mean for you?" Mr. Gold asked her. She gave him a sarcastic grin before continuing.

"I didn't ever think an outsider could travel here," Regina continued. "At least not easily. Our town is rather hidden from the public eye, something that I tried to make sure of." Mr. Gold looked at her intently, wondering what she could possibly be getting at.

"But," Regina went on, slowly walking closer to Gold as he stood calmly in place. "I figured Emma would be the last outsider to arrive in town and that we wouldn't get any more. At least not for a while." She walked super close to Gold then, getting right in his face. "That is...until Henry and I met a girl last night. A werewolf, passing through town...from a small suburb in Manhattan." Mr. Gold's eyes contorted slightly when Regina said "werewolf". A werewolf arriving in town from an outside place? It seemed all too odd to him, not having a clue what this could mean.

But then he remembered Kyra, inhaling deeply at this realization while trying to put on a poker face.

"Tell me," Regina spoke to him again, her eyes looking up at him accusingly. "What would a werewolf girl be doing in Manhattan, of all places? And more importantly...how could a werewolf even exist in this world at all?" Mr. Gold retained his poker face as he gave her a small shrug in response.

"I'm not sure," He told Regina, who pursed her lips.

"I thought werewolves only existed in our world," Regina said angrily, beginning to raise her voice. "Not this one."

"Well," Mr. Gold stated. "I suppose you thought wrong, then." She shook her head, not buying it.

"No," She replied. "I know this girl. She's from our world, but she wasn't sent here to Storybrooke like everyone else. She was born in this world 25 years ago, three years after I put the curse in place, and she grew up in an outside city just like Miss Swan! How is that possible?" Mr. Gold stood defiantly, acting aloof to everything Regina was saying.

"Perhaps your curse affected others in different ways," He said. Regina stared at him intently for a long moment, neither of them speaking a word to one another. But Mr. Gold didn't budge. He just stood right perfectly still looking right back at her, unintimidated by the "Evil Queen".

"She's here," Regina finally revealed to him. "I was able to knock her out and drag her here last night. Not sure if she's awake yet...but she is here." Mr. Gold's poker face faded for a brief moment, his eyes slightly widening before he remembered not to show any emotion.

"Is she?" He asked her. Regina nodded, a wicked grin forming on her face.

"Follow me," She said, beginning to lead him over to the den.


End file.
